The Countdown Begins........

New Year's Eve...full of parties, fun and celebration. Dressing up in your finest, checking your hair and makeup, one last time.

Arriving at the 'intimate' get-together, ready to party. (but darling, that headpiece IS abit much!)

Yep, maybe better to be a 'cone-head' like some of these guests

A word to the wise ~ something like this could happen...

.....if you drink too much!

However you spend your New Year's Eve, I wish you a happy and safe one and also wish that all your dreams for the New Year come true!

Happy New Year's Eve!

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Love Is All You Need

I hope everyone had a truly wonderful Christmas day, however you may have observed and celebrated it.

The above video showcases 156 countries coming together at the same time for the Starbucks Love Project. Please double click on the video above to take you to the video on Youtube, as your view will be counted and Starbucks will contribute to the global fight against aids in Africa.

From Me To You

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Isn't this scene adorable? Love the one shoe/one stocking on and the other being hung....with such care, hope and anticipation. And the little bare bottom is priceless!

I'm presently in a flurry of wrapping - trying to get done before our daughters arrive home this afternoon, but want to wish everyone that celebrates Christmas a joyous and enchanted day full of love, family and friendship. I wish that the day is everything you hope it to be.

Love and Peace

Seasonal Tidbits.....or Randomness

I'm working on a couple of pieces at the moment that can not be shown here (at least before Christmas) and thought I would share some cool and maybe not so cool pics with you.

"Santa Claus" shown above is from 1885. He looks like he has just come in from tending to his reindeer. I wonder if his jacket is red? Somehow I think it is is deep loden green.

Gift ideas for friends have certainly changed

Methinks this little gal from 1901 is NOT impressed with her Christmas gift.

How many of you that were snowbound this weekend got outside and built a snowman? Or made snowangels? I hope some of you did!

A unique (you could say OOAK, and you could also say, "ewwwww!") gift for that person that has everything!

When I first saw this image I thought this woman was standing with an elaborately dressed doll! Check out the muffs both are carrying!

I've never thought of putting the garland on the tree so that it would look rather webby. Must learn to think outside the box more!

And last, but definitely not least ....how to make a statement at your office Christmas party!

Ornies, Snowman and a Prince(???)

WIP pic of the snowman, "My Prince?" kindred and a papiermache snowman ornie (in the background below).

Both the kindred and the snowman are polymer clay over a foil armature. The upsided down snowman ornament behind them is commercial papier mache from Spain over a burnt out lightbulb.

I did these after the snowman and was running out of glitter - next time I will glitter-them-up more!

Snowman, stands approximately 8" tall. Painted, "antiqued" and glittered......

The kindred piece, "My Prince?" was done for a person that collects frogs. Polymer, paint, mohair and antique netting. The little blurb that went with her read, "Helena loved to catch frogs.......always wondering..."

Some more WIPs (kindreds and busts). I am also making a couple of gifts that I can't post pics of here. I'm hoping that after Christmas I will be able to keep my Etsy shop stocked properly!

I definitely want to start some Christmas themed items by late summer next year. I may even create a couple of Father Christmas figures again. I haven't done any in several years - to be honest, I became totally burnt out making them as I made many, many, many for several years in a row. I think I may be slightly ADD as I do get bored if I do too many of the same type of thing for too long.

Newest Alice in Wonderland Trailer.....Fabulous!

The newest trailer for Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland......going to be SO amazing!

Some Answers to "Essentials" Post

I was going to respond on the comments section, but thought it may be better for this to have its own post.

Here are my thoughts on some of the questions. If I get anymore

queries on the comments, I will edit this post.

~ Jackie, yes Prosculpt is a polymer clay which you cure in the oven. I use a roaster oven that is dedicated 100% to my clay. Purchased it at a church yard sale several years ago and I love it

I used to sculpt with Cernit, however ran into difficulties finding it in Canada. Marilyn Radzat put me on to prosculpt a few years ago and I have used it ever since. I find it blends well, is easy to condition and is quite strong (when cured according to manufacturer's directions).

~ Diane, in a pinch I have covered the wire with masking tape, however I prefer the white floral tape (can be found at Michael's). It is stretching so that application when winding around the wire is fast and easy. It also definitely gives the clay something to hold onto. If you ever see a vintage nail tool, pick it up - you may find that you really like using it.

~ Robin, have to agree that dental tools are a wonderful addition to any studio. I have a couple that I use quite abit. My favorite dental tool is a scraper, which works great for (wait for it LOL) scraping! When painting eyes especially, I often have little tags and blobs of paint in places I don't want - the dental scraper takes care of those getting rid of them without damaging or marking the clay.

~ Kaerie, I also use wire and foil with air dry clays. Again, I cover with floral tape or masking tape to give the clay something to grap onto.

I think that is it for now! Thank you everyone for reading and commenting on yesterday's post - and Tristan, yes - I can so 'see' using books! Be back later!

Essentials to Me

Have spent the last couple of days crunching to get some orders done by today. I was going to post pics tonight, however had planned to do the following post before this, and as this will be brief and it is getting late will do this one now.

I wanted to show the basic tools I use. I have a huge assortment of "proper" supplies/tools, however seem to stick with only several that I use consistently.

* wax paper....great at covering my scarred and battered table top

* aluminum foil....head armatures, also used for body parts

* small hammer....a must for pounding the foil to make tight, compact shapes

*wire.....for armatures - also, floral tape for covering wire

*Baby wipes, clay, stylus, knitting needle, scalpel, and my all-time favorite sculpting tool.....a vintage nail/cuticle pusher.

When I started sculpting I did not have any tools and found that this particular item worked great for me. Several years ago, I thought I had lost it, went and purchased four newer ones and I just could not use them. They didn't have the same heft or feel and I could not get used to them. Fortunately, I found my 'favorite tool'! I honestly am lost without this little metal item.

If you are reading this and new to sculpting, don't wait until you have the 'proper' tools. Try items you may have around the house. The above are what works for me, however many artists use other common household items (toothpicks, crochet hooks, etc). You never know what may work, unless you experiment.

Will post some WIP and pics of what I just finished, tomorrow.

To Those Who Celebrate..........

Happy Chanukah!!

(stockphoto.com)

A Special Piece

Toy Chest Father Christmas created in 1993

This was one of the first Father Christmas pieces I did. I had just started using polymer clay - which the hands were sculpted from. His face was sculpted jersey knit fabric which was then treated to multi layers of paint to give it an 'oilcloth' look. The body is batting wrapped wire armature with tee-shirt knit covering and the clothing was made from repurposed vintage pieces.

This piece, Father Xmas, toy chest, etc is all mounted on some 100 year old barnboard which is approx. 14" long, so it makes a substantial display piece.

Why is it special to me? It is one of the few pieces that I still have from the early days of my doll making, so it is fun to see

just where I have gone with this craft. The main reason though is that the toy chest was the base for a floral arrangement that my mom gave me when my eldest daughter was born. Several of the toys used in the display were also her's, including the small peridot doll

sitting in front of Father Christmas.

My mom passed away in 1996 and when I look at this I have such fond memories of how excited she was that she had 'helped' me

create this piece by using some of the items I did. My mom was such a big fan of my work, always cheering me on and I miss her dearly.

Wordless Wednesday

The Pink Glove Dance

Hi Everyone! The above video is so very cool. A friend sent it to me and it was sent to her by a friend. Here is what her friend wrote:

Our daughter-in-law, Emily (MacInnes) Somers, created, directed and
choreographed this in Portland last week for her Medline glove division as a
fundraiser for breast cancer awareness. This was all her idea to help
promote their new pink gloves. I don't know how she got so many employees,
doctors and patients to participate, but it started to really catch on and
they all had a lot of fun doing it.

When the video gets 1 million hits, Medline will be making a huge
contribution to the hospital, as well as offering free mammograms for the
community. Please check it out. It's an easy and great way to donate to a
wonderful cause, and who hasn't been touched by breast cancer?

I'm hoping that Medline is making donations at each 1 million mark!

**~** For Renee and Pat**~**

Wordless Wednesday

Getting Back Into the Swing of Things

It sure is great to be back on my computer after being away from it for a month. Unfortunately, I had very little computer time on the weekend so today, I am just now starting to catchup on emails, blogs and some of the groups I belong to.

It is great to catch up on the latest art doll and other news from my blog friends. I felt so out-of-touch!

It is amazing how much you can get done when you are not drawn to this machine though. I started and completed several pieces (most are for gifts and as such I can not post pics). I can post a pic of the piece I did for the Monster Under The Bed Swap that the lovely Zan from Wild at Heart Art organized. This is the first swap that I have participated in and I had so much fun! I did a ghostie kindred, Isabella with her dust bunny (she resides under the bed you see).

My swap partner was the very talented Diane MacNaughton. Please check out her blog, Dianie Mac Designs to find out more about this wonderfully artistic lady and to see more of her work. I was totally blown away by the piece she created for me.

A true Monster Under The Bed!

Isn't he wonderful! The detail and work involved in this piece is amazing! And check out the adorable expression on the little boy in the bed! I LOVE this and am so thrilled to have been paired up with Diane. (and she is not only artistic, but a lovely lady too) I am very proud and honoured to have one of her pieces in my collection.

Another thing I did while computer-less was paint our front porch (it stretches across the whole front of the house) and start decorating for Christmas. The porch still needs another coat and the window and door frames also have to be painted - that is going to have to wait until the Spring though.

All in all it was not that bad - but I sure am glad to be back!

I'm back in the studio tomorrow and working on some pieces for my etsy shop. Most of my orders are done now and my shop has been sorely neglected for months. It will be good to get product in it.

I'm Back!

So happy! Got my computer back, virus free and I'm looking
forward to posting some blogs and catching up on postings on the blogs I follow.

We are going out of town for the day to visit our daughters in Toronto however I hope to have some computer time tomorrow. I have really missed everyone!

I hope all my US friends had a splendid Thanksgiving!

Sick Computer

Well, I got the H1N1 vaccine and feel slightly protected - my computer however was not so lucky. Picked up a nasty virus last week and for several reasons will not be able to get it cleaned up
until the last week in November. I'm down at the library on their computer now, but obviously will not be blogging in the next
couple of weeks. :(

For all my blogging and art friends out there - I'm missing you and NOT ignoring your updates, just can't get to them.

Hugs!

A Ghost Story, A Headless Marie, and Vintage Halloween

Have you ever seen a ghost?

When I was around 7 years old, I was staying overnight at my best friend's house. This house was a huge doctor's manse that had been built 100 years prior. It was the type of house with lots of hidden doorways and intriguing little cubbyholes that kids love to play in. Elizabeth's dad was not home that night and her mom said that Elizabeth and I could sleep in her room and she would sleep in E's room. Cool!

I don't remember why, but Elizabeth got up through the night and went to sleep with her mom in her own single bed and I woke up all alone. What woke me up was extreme cold. I was freezing and thought there may be a window open - looked around in the dark, but the windows were all closed. I was so cold I had goosebumps and I remember feeling almost electrified. It was then I noticed the small door to the attic that was in one of the bedroom walls was ajar, just about an inch. As I looked at it, it started to open more. That black one inch band became two, and then three......and that was it for me.

I scooted off that bed and out of that room so fast, ran down the hallway to Elizabeth's room and her mom woke up. I didn't want to tell her that I was scared (I was a BIG girl of 7!), so I suggested that she and Elizabeth move back to her double bed, and I would sleep in E's room. Elizabeth's room was half the size of her parent's room, with no weird cubbyholes or doors to the attic - it was also warm. I eventually fell asleep and the next morning woke up wondering just what had tried to visit me the night before. What do you think? Overactive child's imagination, or a ghost?

***********

Headless Marie Antoinette Costume

Instructions to make this inventive Halloween costume by Nicole Magne is on Etsy's The Storque. It is too late this year, but definitely something to keep in mind for next year.

No instructions for this, but how about being a tree:

An idea for next year's Halloween party (sculpt the head out of paperclay, unless you have a friend that doesn't mind you getting creative with them. mwwwwwhhhahaha)

On that note, I will wish you all a happy and safe Halloween!

Hallowe'en Tidbits

I have been busy finishing up a couple of commissions for this week and also working on my ADO Challenge piece, which I hope to have completed tomorrow or Thursday. I'll post pics as soon as she is done. I'm also working on my swap piece for the Monsters Under the Bed swap (that has to be done first week in Nov). Yikes! Time flies!

For many, Hallowe'en is a much beloved time of year that has its roots going back thousands of years. The video below offers a short and concise history of this holiday.

Witches, pumpkins, black cats, ghosts, ghouls......quite an assortment of beings/items commemorate all Hallows Eve!

These old gals look so authentic! Love this pic!

(I never thought a lamb costume would look kind of scarey)

I'll end this post with a favorite Hallowe'en song from a favorite movie:

Wordless Wednesday

Decay

I love everything about the Fall, the colours, the crisp air, the

crunching sound of the leaves as you walk through them, and the fabulous smell of decaying leaves. I saw this leaf today and was enchanted by the textures of the leaf, the wood, the cobwebs and the lacy membranes that are so tentatively holding onto some of the holes.

Another view of the leaf......

A couple of other photos of vegetation - not as decayed........

And do you see the little woodland sprite peaking out......

I did get some pretty pics of red, yellow, orange leaves, but these are more interesting to me.